Shop the Pig: Piggly Wiggly Store from Menards

The basics: The O gauge Piggly Wiggly grocery store reproduces an icon familiar in small towns in the south and Midwest. The structure’s base measures 14" wide by 6-1/2" deep and features a front sidewalk and decorated interior. There is illumination from the front overhang, and the storefront sign has a steadily illuminated round pig icon. The chase lighting sequentially illuminates each letter and then flashes Piggly Wiggly. There are customers and carts inside the store and shoppers outside.

Why you need this: Founded in 1916, Piggly Wiggly was the first self-service grocery store in the United States. Rather than have clerks taking items off a shelf for a customer, the customer could make their own brand selections and take his/her own basket to the checkout. The iconic cap-wearing pig image is familiar in towns large and small, and there are currently 530 Piggly Wiggly stores in 17 states.

The building design is timeless, fitting in from the 1940s through today. It is a standard shoebox design with a narrow overhanging marquee with the store’s iconic pig clerk, and an illuminated store name.

The windows and doors have trim simulating aluminum framing. The exterior has brick texture and the bricks are a cream color. On the ends are signage for Piggly Wiggly and there are vintage advertisements for Tide Soap and Campbell’s Soup. The rear of the store has an employee door and two loading docks for truck deliveries.

The store interior has printed walls with an extensive fruit and vegetable section. There is a free-standing fruit counter on the left side of the store, and a segment with cereal and soft drinks near the front window in the right side. Inside there are three shoppers with carts two standing near the fruit stand, and one by the soft drinks. A kiosk is by the front door with an employee ready to assist shoppers.

Out front are two pedestrians, two gents engaged in a conversation, and a fifth figure paused in front of the blue mailbox. You’ll also discover a mechanical pony ride and, of course, Jack the German shepherd, on the scene.

The electric signage looks great. It highlights each letter of the store’s name in sequence, and then flashes the name with all letters illuminated. The bright red letters are impressive in bright or dark room lighting.

This is an attractive store that will give Red Owl a run for its money for the hard fought battle for selling groceries in your train city.

Power requirement: For illumination, the store requires a Menards 4.5 volt power supply, Menards SKU# 279-4061, 279-4062, or 279-4050 sold separately.

The 9-Piece Plug & Play Accessory Pack (279-4681) includes one four-way line splitter, one 5-foot, one 4-foot, and one 3-foot extension section. The three Y-splitters can power up to six vehicles. Have some old buildings you’d like to illuminate? The set includes two four-inch LED tape lights that can provide additional spot lighting wherever you need it. The accessory pack can do a lot!

The 8-Piece Plug & Play Accessory Pack (279-4035) includes two 6-foot extensions (straight plug head), two 6-foot extensions (90-degree plug head), two male to female conversion pieces and two Y-splitters.

Shipping Dimensions: 19.17 H x 10.20 W x 7.28 D

Shipping Weight: 3.0 lbs